The Jumbies By Tracey Baptiste Review

Goodreads Synopsis: A spine-tingling tale rooted in Caribbean folklore that will have readers holding their breath as they fly through its pages.

Corinne La Mer isn’t afraid of anything. Not scorpions, not the boys who tease her, and certainly not jumbies. They’re just tricksters parents make up to frighten their children. Then one night Corinne chases an agouti all the way into the forbidden forest. Those shining yellow eyes that followed her to the edge of the trees, they couldn’t belong to a jumbie. Or could they?

When Corinne spots a beautiful stranger speaking to the town witch at the market the next day, she knows something unexpected is about to happen. And when this same beauty, called Severine, turns up at Corinne’s house, cooking dinner for Corinne’s father, Corinne is sure that danger is in the air. She soon finds out that bewitching her father, Pierre, is only the first step in Severine’s plan to claim the entire island for the jumbies. Corinne must call on her courage and her friends and learn to use ancient magic she didn’t know she possessed to stop Severine and save her island home.

With its able and gutsy heroine, lyrical narration, and inventive twist on the classic Haitian folktale “The Magic Orange Tree,” The Jumbies will be a favorite of fans of Breadcrumbs, A Tale Dark and Grimm, and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.”

My Thoughts

A fantasy based in Caribbean folklore.
When I first saw this cover I knew I had to read this book. I don’t know many books that are set in the Caribbean, but I think there should be TONS.My two best friends, are from the Caribbean area, and I love the setting. To know more about the culture. Trini spirits are amazing to visualize. Werewolf like creature wearing chains, and the douens the spirit children, its fantastic. There are so many different types of jumbies. In the Caribbean jumbies are sneaky tricksters who can take on the form of a beautiful woman or an animal.

The jumbies is a story about friendship, monsters and magic. Like most fairy tales, this is a story of good versus evil, Corrine is faced with a jumbie named Severine, who appears as a beautiful woman,who wants to retake the land from the villagers. Severine is an interesting villain because she is capable of love, but is selfish and thinks she is better then everyone else.

One of my favorite parts of the book was Corinne’s friendship with her friends. Dru is shy and timid but hen she meets Corrine she starts to come out of her shell. Malik and Bouki, were a comic relief but also so much more. I loved the relationship Corrine had with her father.

The chapters are usually short, and with all the action, the jumbies reads quickly. The tone of the story sets it up perfectly for a spooky fall read.